Bungling thieves gave up using a car to wrench a cash machine from the wall of a Croydon garage and instead opted to steal a mechanical digger.
The raiders initially attached a rope to the cash machine at the Esso Garage in Brighton Road and tried in vain to use their Vauxhall to pull it free from the wall at around 4.25am today.
The pair then drove to Beckenham where they stole a mechanical digger from the Beckenham Beacon hospital site in Croydon Road and used it to try and steal an ATM from the Total petrol station in the same road about 4.56am.
According to the Met Police the machine was out of service at the time and had no cash inside.
The thieves abandoned the machine on the garage's forecourt and were spotted driving away towards New Addington.
Anyone with information should call police on 01689 891212.
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